Arm-R-Seal questions

[scott vroom]

I'm using Arm-R-Seal to finish my nightstands project.

1. How many coats is typical for furniture? I've applied 4 thus far.

2. How long do you folks wait before putting the furniture to use? GF website says 2 weeks to reach optimal hardness and water protection. This seems excessive, particularly for my area (warm, moderate humidity).

Many thanks.

[Rick Johnston]

4-5 coats and 3 weeks on the time frame is what I've done and also read for the cure time.

[Mike Cutler]

Scott

I've pretty much exclusively used their products for many years, and that time about right.
You can bring the furniture in the house and set "soft" things on it, but I'd give it a few days at min. If it's the kitchen table, I'd give it as many days as possible.

4 coats is about right. It normally takes me about a full week to apply the finish to a project. Seal-A"Cell for the flood coat, followed by a coats of Arm-R-Seal each day. Sometimes, if the weather cooperates I can get one on in early AM and one some 12-15 hours later. Sometimes.

It's a great product line.

[John Schweikert]

I built 6 walnut table tops and a walnut bar top for a local business. I did 5 coats glossy and final coat satin (all Arm-R-Seal), hand wiped with an old cotton t-shirt. Those went into service a day after the last coat dried and had no issues at all. In fact, I've been quite surprised just how durable that coating is. Being in a commercial environment, the table surface tops are remarkably tough. It's been about 2 months of use now. The bar top gets abuse, mainly dings from use, but as far as the Arm-R-Seal coating, that is as good as the first day.

I cranked up the heat in my workshop to about 80-85 degrees and was able to put all 6 coats on the bar in 2 days. Subsequent coats dry faster for reapplication than the first coat or two. On walnut, I wouldn't start to see surface continuity until coat 4.

[John TenEyck]

For nightstands 3 or 4 wiped on coats should be sufficient depending upon how thick a layer you apply. The first coat takes a lot longer to dry than the subsequent ones. I usually let the first coat dry 24 hours; the following ones about 10 - 12 hours. Rushing just prolongs curing. For a hard use surface like a kitchen table you need to have an absolutely continuous film so it might take 6 coats or more, again depending upon how you wipe it on. My testing showed it takes about 3 weeks to reach full cure, but I've put pieces into light duty service after only a week w/o problems. The stink factor may convince you not to put them into your bedroom for at least a week.

John

[Prashun Patel]

Depends how thick a finish you want.
It's thinned to wiping varnish consistency, so if you're a '3-brushed-coats' guy on full strength varnish, you'll need about 9+ of this.
If you're a thin-film finish guy like me, then you're in the 5-6 coats range.

Beware, when built up thick, it can look plasticky (not quite so much as Minwax poly) but more than other non-poly varnishes.

I do try to be gentle with my pieces within the first couple weeks. If it were me, I'd leave the lamp and clock off the stand for a week or two. The sneaky culprit is magazines and anything with plastic or rubber feet...

[George Bokros]

I used six coats.

[Howard Acheson]

Four wiped on coats is at least one more than necessary unless you are looking for a thick plasticy look. For oil based Arm R Seal, I will generally stop at two brushed on coats unless there is some underlying surface defect I am trying to fix.

It is always my recommendation that you follow manufacturer's instructions regarding finish application. Manufacturers want you to be successful with their product and spend considerable time and money testing their finishes. They know best about the use of their product.

[scott vroom]

Four wiped on coats is at least one more than necessary unless you are looking for a thick plasticy look. For oil based Arm R Seal, I will generally stop at two brushed on coats unless there is some underlying surface defect I am trying to fix.

From reading other threads here I was under the impression that it takes something like 3 rubbed on coats to equal the thickness of one brushed on coat. Your advice seems to contradict this.

Anyone?

[John Schweikert]

Obviously much like everything else, personal preference/experience dictates comments. I say just test and create your own method that gives the look you want. I know from personal experience with Arm-R-Seal that 3 coats is lacking with some woods, in my opinion. 3 coats doesn't create an even surface look when wiping on by hand with a rag for more open grained woods. Maple might only need 2 coats, but walnut will take more than 4 in my book. I did douglas fir benches that worked ok with 4 coats. Grain type and direction dictates the absorption. Keeping the rag wet is key. As the rag releases the varnish, it drags. Planning where to start and stop strokes on long runs helps for consistency.

Looking for a one-size-fits-all approach is not realistic.

Also, I think people apply wipe-on differently. I've seen people vigorously rub Arm-R-Seal on and others do slow sweeping wipes. All rag applied. I find early coats can be applied with swirling rubs, but later coats need very consistent even long strokes to avoid streaking and unevenness. #0000 steel wool between coats.

I use Arm-R-Seal on larger surface areas. The size of the area, darkness of the wood may affect how people apply. It's as much technique as it is visual inspection of the surface application.

Ask people how they varnish wood on boats and you'll get a thousand different methods (it seems). The end result and duration of finish are the main concerns.

[Jerry Wright]

4-5 coats. Flow on with a foam brush. Rub lightly with 600 grit paper between. Youll be amazed at uniformity. I was always a wipe on guy until reading a FWW article a few years ago. Also have fun with a 1000+ grit orbital sander after last coat - it will polish if you like.